Incredible tips to prepare for UPSC exam without coaching
Now a days, it has become a common scenario that the aspirants prepare on their own for the UPSC exam. All thanks to the digital media for their efforts that now the aspirants can study with the comfort of their home. Also, you can save a lot of money by studying yourself.
Now the question is how to start preparing for the exam without coaching?
Start Early
Yes, start early as you have to cover the complete syllabus by yourself. Begin your syllabus at least one to one and half years prior to the exam. Suppose you are targeting UPSC 2020, then you should start preparing by January 2019 or maximum by June 2019. Only this way you will be able to have a thorough study as well as revision.
Cultivate newspaper reading
Develop this habit. The sooner you know the effective art of newspaper reading, the better it would be. Newspaper reading is very important as it will help you in clearing your GS paper.
You should know how the events are interconnected. Don’t forget to miss out on the editorial page as it contains some important information which can prove beneficial in your essay and answer framing in your Mains exam.
Apart from reading the newspaper, you can also get the e-version of the magazines such as Yojna etc. these magazines are very important in your preparation as you get to know the latest trends of the UPSC exams.
Stay Motivated and Determined
Motivation and determination are the two keys to crack the exam. if you lose the motivation in between you cannot even clear the prelims. The best person who can motivate you is yourself. So, watch ex-toppers interviews or listen to motivational lectures. Stay focused always.
Start with NCERTs
After collecting all the study material (which can be downloaded freely from any online website), kick off your preparation with NCERTs. NCERTs contain basic and important concepts which are essential for fundamental clearance.
60% paper is drafted directly from the NCERTs. But yes, the questions don’t come from the NCERT directly. Rather the questions involve a concept you have learnt in your NCERT books.
After completing your NCERTs say in two months. Now start off with one standard book for each subject. Don’t follow multiple books for a single subject as it will just confuse you.
Make a time table
Make a time table and split your hours of study by assigning different subjects. Set up milestones. Keep giving mock tests to assess your progress. Make sure that your time table includes Saturday as the revision day and Sunday as your free day for first few months.
Make notes
If you are performing self study, it is recommended to make notes side by side. Nothing can beat the power of handmade notes. Even if you have skipped making the notes, don’t worry you can download the notes from the internet for free. Also, you can purchase GIST NCERT books which will help you in effective revision.
Improve on your reading Speed
Even if you know the entire paper, you just cannot complete it if your reading speed is slow. Try to read as much as you can and improve your interpretation skills. The more easily you interpret the question or read the question, you will get more time to answer that question.
Stop cramming
Forget that you will be able to clear the exam by cramming. UPSC is just not any other exam rather it is the mother of every exam. It is the toughest exam in the country and requires full determination, hard work blended with smart strategies to crack the exam. Focus on the concept building and clearance rather than cramming part.
Enroll in Mocks
This is very effective way towards your preparation. First do all the last ten years’ question papers and understand the outline of the exam. After a thorough study of the previous year’s papers then enroll yourself into mocks. There are many websites which offer free mocks. This will help you to analyze your strengths and weakness and will let you know where you stand amongst other aspirants.
Revision and Revision
Yes, dear friends. Revision is the key to success. Study from the notes which you have prepared and learn from the mistakes which you have committed in your mock tests. Also, don’t leave the mains preparation till the end. Start your [preparation for mains and prelims together. Stop preparing for mains when six months are left for the prelims exam. From January onwards give your full attention towards the prelims and after prelims don’t wait for the result, bang on with the mains revision.
For the personal Interview, we recommend you can join some coaching centers as an interview is something which deals with the interpersonal skills which can be better guided by coaching centers with experienced tutors.